The Book of Boba Fett feels like a stopgap show. After The Mandalorian‘s second season bowled Star Wars fans over with the return of Luke Skywalker, Disney Plus faced a long wait for new live-action series.
Din Djarin’s third run of episodes doesn’t even have a release date yet, while other shows like Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka are still a fair bit away.
In certain respects, then, it makes sense to quickly green light something that can recycle costumes and sets from The Mandalorian, with a story largely limited to the Tatooine sands. Fan reactions to The Book of Boba Fett have been mixed, though, with many criticizing the slow pace of the story, boneheaded character decisions, and rather low budget feel.
But that doesn’t seem to have dissuaded critics, as Rotten Tomatoes have just certified it as ‘Fresh’ with an impressive 86% of reviews deemed positive.
For me, that score comes with some big caveats. There are only eight reviews listed on the site, seven positive and one negative. In addition, most of the reviews were posted early in the show’s run, meaning they’re forming their opinion based on one or two episodes at most.
I suspect a more accurate rating for the show comes from the 1600 audience reviews, which peg it at 60%. That feels about fair for a show whose best entry by far was effectively a bonus episode of The Mandalorian.
Having said that, we still have two weeks to go, so perhaps The Book of Boba Fett will wrap up itself up so satisfyingly that it’ll make all the slow plot development worthwhile. Those involved are all talented and knowledgeable about a galaxy far, far away, so I’m not giving up hope yet.